A POLISH mother and her daughter were killed in a road accident while touring one of the country's most scenic areas.

And separately, a tight-knit rural parish was saddened following the death of a woman described by many as a pillar of the local community, bringing the number of bank holiday deaths to three so far this weekend.

Marta Krawczyk (39) and her daughter Sabina (15), from Krackow, were in a car with three other relatives when the crash occurred just before midday on Saturday at Knockbrendan, on the Quay Road outside Ballina, Co Mayo, a stretch known to be a blackspot.

Their Honda Civic appears to have gone over a hill, crossed to the wrong side of the road, before overturning in a field.

The male driver and two other passengers, believed to be his mother and brother, were taken to Mayo General Hospital.

The other passengers were released from hospital yesterday and the driver's injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

The two women, who are understood to be cousins of the family, were spending a week in Ireland and had been due to go home tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Maureen Walsh (64) of Killwatermoy, Tallow, Co Waterford, died after being struck by a car as she was walking along the main Waterford to Dungarvan road at lunchtime on Saturday.

It is understood Ms Walsh, who was not married, had just got off a bus and was heading towards The Pike, near Dungarvan, when the accident occurred.

Local councillor James Tobin described her as a "lovely person, with great devotion to Our Lady" and someone who had raised money for the Lourdes Invalid Fund for years.

"She lived within a two-mile radius of all her family. She was a great aunt to all her nieces and nephews and a lovely neighbour," Mr Tobin said.

Parish priest Fr Pat Condon said that there was "widespread sadness in the parish".

Ms Walsh is survived by three brothers, James, Patrick and Tom; and her sister Anne (Houlihan) as well as her many nephews and nieces.

Crash

Elsewhere, an elderly man who has had six lucky escapes in the past 10 years after cars crashed into his home, woke to another serious crash outside his house early yesterday.

Shortly after 6.30am, 80-year-old Martin McGuane was woken by the sound of a crash outside his home at Bunnahow, Tubber, Co Clare.

A red Toyota car had crashed into the wall of the family farm before overturning and coming to a stop in the middle of the main Ennis-to-Galway road.

The driver suffered non life-threatening injuries. The latest incident has put Clare County Council back in the spotlight after it previously refusing to erect traffic-calming measures at the notorious blackspot.